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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923124">You have one new message</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippierCoffee/pseuds/TippierCoffee'>TippierCoffee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Digits [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Advice, Distance, Divorce, Escapism, Friendship, Grieving, Hurt/Comfort, Jogging, Lou Ellen and Cecil are good friends, Lou Ellen is a solid friend, M/M, Mario Kart, Morning Jog, Mortal AU, Tarot Card Reading, Text Buddies, Texting, Wrong Number AU, alternative universe, changes, friends - Freeform, kind of, magick, plush toys, random text, safety online, tags and characters added as I go, text buddy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:02:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippierCoffee/pseuds/TippierCoffee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will really didn't need his parents to get divorced just one year after moving to a new city. To cope with his feelings, he decides to text a number that doesn't exist. Except it does.<br/>AKA: "The number you have reached is in service" but from Will's POV.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Apollo &amp; Naomi Solace, Apollo/Naomi Solace, Nico di Angelo &amp; Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Digits [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. When everything changed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.<br/>CW: This story will touch on the subjects of grief and loss.<br/>"The number you have reached is in service", but from Will’s POV. You don’t need to read the other fic to understand this one, but feel free to if you’d like :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will’s world shattered and his ears started ringing. It was like a piece of his heart had fallen off in a malfunctioning accident, never to be seen again. His eyes were hot with tears he seemed unable to shed, and his body felt numb. Yet, somewhere, in the far chambers of his mind, a little voice whispered to him he should have seen this coming. It wasn’t like his parents had always been on good terms. On the contrary. That didn’t stop the hurt from snaking into his veins and blocking his throat.</p><p>Will wished his parents could at least have waited to announce it until summer break. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to try and trudge through exams with this hanging over his head ready to strike him and veer him off course. It wasn’t fair on him to do this now. Even if a part of him understood because his dad would move during summer break, another part of him wished to be blissfully unaware until it had to happen.</p><p>“Will?” his mum looked at him with concern.</p><p>Will met her gaze, his vision blurred by tears that started falling hot down his cheeks. He wished he wouldn’t cry, but he couldn’t help the hurt.</p><p>“Why?” was all he could think to ask.</p><p>His mum sat down next to him and took him in a comforting embrace. She allowed him to cry into her shoulder while she shushed him.</p><p>“Lester and I spoke about it a great deal, Sweetie. I didn’t want to move you again after just settling into your new life, but I can’t ask Lester to let this opportunity pass by. It’s better for all of us if we get a divorce.”</p><p>“Is it?” Will choked. “Because I don’t think so!”</p><p>His mum ran a hand through his hair, shushing him gently. His dad plopped himself down on his other side and drew circles on his arm. He wanted them to always be together like this.</p><p>“It’s not like we won’t ever see each other again,” his dad said. “I’ll work something out with your mum and invite you over. I’d just hate to take you away from everything, Will.”</p><p>Will ripped himself out of his mum’s embrace. “Then don’t take the promotion!”</p><p>Maybe he was being childish, or selfish, or both. He honestly didn’t care right now, because his parents were also being selfish for announcing their divorce before summer break, and before exams. They should at least have had the decency to wait till after exams!</p><p>“That’s not fair, Will,” his mum chided. “You know how hard your dad worked to get Apollo Records to where it is now. L.A. will be a great business endeavour for him.”</p><p>“And more important than us, apparently,” Will huffed.</p><p>“Will…” his dad reached out his hand to touch his shoulder, but Will ripped himself away from both their grips.</p><p>“Leave me alone!”</p><p>It wasn’t like him to lose his temper like this, or be this childish, but he was broken, and he wanted their touch, but he also couldn’t stand looking at them right now. He stomped to his room and locked his door, listening to the muffle voices of his dad convincing his mum to give him some space. He cried into his pillow, letting it muffle his voice while clenching the corners. His breaths came in short and sharp, and the small, fading, rational part of his mind recognised he was hyperventilating, yet he could do nothing to stop it as his cheeks prickled and his head felt hotter by the minute.</p><p>He coughed into his pillow, wheezing and spitting, and in a fit of something undetermined, he opened his laptop. He needed to vent, yet he didn’t want to tell Cecil and Lou Ellen yet, because they would make him talk about it, and he didn’t want to talk about it right now. He didn’t even want to think about it. He just wanted it to disappear; run away from it. Somehow — honestly Will didn’t pay attention to how — he found a website that randomised telephone numbers. It seemed they were duds, because they had very few digits. He wiped his eyes with his left hand, while hovering the mouse over a button that said <em>Randomise</em>.</p><p>This was stupid.</p><p>He clicked the button and a phone number appeared on screen. Will couldn’t help but stare at it as he collected his breath, his throat raw and scratchy, his under-eye area sensitive to the touch. He probably looked really horrible. A thought entered his mind, and it was kind of sad he even considered entertaining it. Actually, it was quite depressing he even entertained it, but maybe, it would help him to be able to vent without a reply. Have somewhere to jot his swirling thoughts down without worrying what would be said, because no one would be on the other end.</p><p>Will bit his lip and worried it between his teeth. His breathing was normal again. He stood up and paced the room, his cheeks still too hot for comfort, and found a packet of tissues to blow his nose. He sat down again and stared at the number. Even if it was kind of sad to text a non-existing number all his worries, it would probably be good for him to get it out instead of bottling it up. Right? Right.</p><p>Will took another breath, calming down his frantically beating heart, and jutted the number into his phone. He named the contact <em>Dud for feels</em>, and pocketed his phone. His body was still heating up, and he needed to not be here right now. Fishing out his yellow satchel from under his bed, Will packed a bottle of water, his wallet, his keys, and his phones. He found out a pair of Bluetooth headphones, went downstairs, and yelled to his parents he’d go for a walk. In the corner of his eyes he saw his mum stand up to intercept him, but his dad put a hand on her shoulder while Will put on his scarf, beanie and coat — March weather was cold!</p><p>Will kind of appreciated him for it, even if he was mad at him for choosing his career over his family. Then again, Lester had too many kids to count because he wasn’t very good at the whole commitment thing, and Will really didn’t understand how his mum tolerated his dad’s behaviour for so long, but she somehow did.</p><p>Will left his house and let his feet carry him through the concrete jungle of New York, playing angry heavy metal music on his phone to fit his mood. It seemed to rile him up and pump adrenaline into his tired veins, but he honestly was not in the mood for happy songs right now, even if they might be better at diffusing his mood. He had his hands stuffed in his coat pockets and his shoulders drawn close, shivering in the cold despite his layers. He let his feet carry him through the streets, his body hot and cold at the same time, his skull feeling tight because his jaw was clenched, his cheeks prickling from the way he bit at them on the inside.</p><p>A wind rustled through the street, making his nose tender and sensitive. He suppressed a sneeze, hunching his shoulders closer to his ears. When the second wind came, Will decided to dive into the nearest store for some comfort; just for a bit. He zipped down his coat, and took off his beanie, stuffing it into his satchel along with his scarf. Somehow, he found himself in a toy store and a child like whimsy washed over him, diffusing him at once. He decided to change music to something more sensitive and calm, as he allowed himself to stroll through the store and look at all the toys and gadgets, reminiscing over childhoods spent in stores like this, trying to convince his mum to buy him something he didn’t really need nearly as much as he thought he did.</p><p>Something about the store heated him to his core, and he saw, in the corner of his eyes, a stand where someone sold hot chocolate with whipped cream for the kids in little paper cups. They were only two dollars, so Will picked out his ear buds and went up to get one. The young woman behind the counter did give him a bit of a look before smiling. Will supposed she felt bad for him because he had very clearly been crying. Once again, he turned his attention to the store and strolled through leisurely, the hot chocolate comforting him and spreading its heat through his body. His mum had made hot chocolate for Christmas last year. First Christmas in New York. Last Christmas as a family. Will’s hands started shaking and he tried to steady his breath while wiping his eyes so he wouldn’t have a full break down in a very public, very crowded toy store.</p><p>He found himself at the plush department of the second floor eventually, his paper cup discarded in a waste bin on the floor. A lot of these plush toys looked bizarre, with large heads and just-as-large eyes. They came in a variety of bright colours, none of them looking particularly realistic, but they were kind of adorable. Or terrifying. Maybe both?</p><p>Some of the plush toys came in three sizes. The smallest was the size of Will’s hand, the medium, would probably reach his calf from the floor, while the large one would reach his just above his knee from the floor. There were giraffes, lions, elephants, monkeys, and tigers. Further down, there were cats and rabbits, and, most importantly, dogs. Will smiled as he allowed himself to run a hand across some of the dog plush toys, the fabric soft to the touch. They looked like different breeds. He saw Dalmatians and Labradors, and a single Shih Tzu, but what stopped him in his track, was a Golden Retriever plush. Unlike the others, this one had treads attached to it, to mimic the retriever’s fur. The threads kind of reminded Will of a floor mop, except they were thinner and finer. They also felt a lot softer than a floor mop. Will let his hands run through the threads, the toy’s beady eyes glimmering in the light. There were only two of these left in the medium size, and something in Will’s heart constricted. As if this toy could somehow wash away his sorrows. He wasn’t sure if twenty-two dollars was worth it, though.</p><p>He sighed and decided to snap a picture. A memory to keep if nothing else. He looked at the picture, smiling, letting his finger hover over it while trying to think of the toy’s texture so he could always carry it with him in some way. Just as he was about to pocket his phone, an idea struck him.</p><p>He opened up a message tab, and found out his dud number. His first vent message to himself. Will attached the image and thought for a moment what he should write to go with it. In a way it was silly to care this much about what to write to a number that didn’t exist, but if Will was going to keep a diary over his feelings on his phone by pretending to text someone, he might as well do it properly.</p><p>He typed his message and sent it.</p><p><em>[Me - 12.45pm] Isn't he cute? </em>❤️</p><p>Will smiled to himself, surprised how much it did to help his dejected mood, and pocketed his phone so he could head home again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I want to try for weekly updates on this one, since I’m job hunting atm, and have time on my hands. I won’t promise it though, but I definitely want to try. So, here’s to hoping for weekly updates on Saturdays!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A coiling storm of feelings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“I want to try updating once a week on Saturdays” — Updates on a Tuesday. What are updating schedules even good for anyway? xP</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will ended up going to Lou Ellen’s. It was inevitable her and Cecil would find out about it anyway, and maybe Will needed to also interact with real people about what was going on in his life.</p><p>He knocked her door and was greeted by her father whose cheeks were flushed. It smelled delicious inside, so Will assumed he’d already started cooking dinner. He usually cooked something amazing for them for dinner, and because it was amazing, it took hours to make.</p><p>“Hey, Will,” he greeted.</p><p>His smile stretched wide on his face. He opened his arms and took Will in a hug as he always did, and let him into the little hallway, calling for Lou Ellen in his deep bass voice. A door upstairs opened, and steps barrelled down the stairs. Will only got to stand up after untying his shoes before she came flying with her arms spread, hanging on his neck in her signature Lou Ellen hug.</p><p>“Hey, Will!” she smiled.</p><p>Will tried to smile back, but his stomach felt heavy, and his heart didn’t feel all in it. Lou Ellen must have caught on, because she frowned before taking him by the hand and leading him upstairs. Lou Ellen’s ability to see something was wrong, and to take care of it, no words needed, and no questions asked, was one of Will’s favourite things about her.</p><p>Her room was a mess as usual, clothes strewn all over the floor. There was a spread of tarot cards fanned out on top of her writing desk face down, accompanied by five lit candles. One was white, another green, another red, another orange, and the last one yellow. Will knew she lit certain colour candles for certain readings, but he always lost track of which colour meant what. Her thick curtains were drawn, incense smoking in a bowl on her table, spreading a lovely scent of lavender and pine in the room. It made Will kind of sleepy as he sat on her unmade bed. She shoved aside all the chunky stuffed animals she had on her bed for him, and he couldn’t help but look at the taxidermy raven she had on her night stand to watch over her when she slept and ward off evil. He wasn’t entirely sure where she got it from, and he wasn’t really going to ask either.</p><p>She found a large cutting board from under her bed, putting it next to Will and went to her table to pick up her tarot cards and the white candle. She sat down on the opposite side of the cutting board, gently putting down the white candle before she started shuffling her cards while Will watched. She spread them out in a large fan on the cutting board around the candle and looked at Will.</p><p>“Pick a card.”</p><p>“Any card?” Will joked.</p><p>She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Obviously.”</p><p>Will let his hands hover over the cards in half circles around the candle, trying to see which one felt right to pull out. “What were you trying to do a reading on?”</p><p>“The rest of the school year. Just to see how I’ll do in my academic endeavours.”</p><p>Will chuckled and stopped when his right index finger started tingling above a card. He touched it with the tip of his finger and picked it up, handing it gingerly to Lou Ellen who turned it in her hand.</p><p>“I see there’s change happening in your life.” Lou Ellen showed his card to him. Of course he drew Death. “Try another. Let’s see where it leads you.”</p><p>Will rolled his eyes. Obviously, the change happening was his parents’ incoming divorce, so the next card he drew could only be an ambiguous one. Probably The Fool or The Hanged Man, though he hoped not.</p><p>He let his hands glide over the cards again, looking for that familiar tug or tingling feeling. It didn’t come as fast as when he picked out Death, but eventually a card spoke to him and made the tip of his left ring finger buzz.</p><p>He picked it up and handed it to Lou Ellen who turned it.</p><p>“Lucky you,” she smiled. “A right-side-up Lovers card. Whatever change you’re going through you will overcome it. Maybe even find romance along the way. So, tell me, which changes do you need to overcome?”</p><p>Will looked down at the cutting board. He still wasn’t sure he believed in all that magick stuff Lou Ellen did, but Lou Ellen’s tarot card readings on him and Cecil were always eerily precise.</p><p>“My parents are getting divorced, and my dad is moving to L.A during the summer.”</p><p>Lou Ellen’s smile faltered, and she gathered her tarot cards as well as her candle. She gave them a quick thanks as she put them onto her table in a neat stack and returned the white candle to its place. She gently placed her big cutting board for on-bed tarot readings under her bed and sat up again, taking Will in an embrace.</p><p>“I’m so sorry to hear that.”</p><p>Will allowed himself to cry in her embrace as she held him closer.</p><p>“Do you want me to call Cecil over so you can beat him in Mario Kart?”</p><p>Will nodded and Lou Ellen hummed with a bit of a chuckle. Knowing her, she probably also rolled her eyes.</p><hr/><p>Will helped Lou Ellen fold her clothes on the bed or throw it in the wash bin, while she properly turned off the candles and packed away the tarot cards. She let the incense burn but drew away the curtains to let some light stream in and put her taxidermy raven in the narrow windowsill. Something about needing it to protect from the outside when the curtains were drawn. Will still found it a bit fascinating Lou Ellen’s relationship with ravens was so different to the usual interpretation of them as bad luck. Then again, Lou Ellen had said the bird was her spirit animal, so obviously she wouldn’t think of it as bad luck.</p><p>By the time Cecil came around, the carpet was visible — probably the cleanest it had been in a while — and Lou Ellen had booted up her Nintendo Switch system and prepared their controllers so they could play Mario Kart. Cecil popped down in a bean bag in front of the bed, while Will and Lou Ellen sat on the bed cross legged, their knees touching each other. It was no surprise to Will or Cecil that Lou Ellen’s dad happily invited them to eat there. Will wasn’t going to say no to the opportunity, and Cecil hardly needed to be asked. They texted their parents about the arrangement, and that was that.</p><p>Obviously, Will had to tell Cecil his sad news too. Cecil had given him a frown, and a <em>that sucks, man</em>, before reminding him he could always come to him. Will was really glad they’d become such good friends in just half a year. The way they interacted, it seemed they’d known each other forever.</p><p>Will played as Rosalina because he had such a soft spot for her. He gave it his all in the game, Lou Ellen shoving him, and Cecil yelling to try and distract him, because he was somehow surprisingly good at the game. Laughing with them like this as the skies darkened was just what Will needed though, and he smiled and hugged them goodbye when he was picked up at seven.</p><p>His mum had driven over, giving him a careful smile as he entered the car. He tried to return it but being near her made his stomach sink all over again. His heart suddenly felt constricted, and he wondered if the hurt would ever go away or lessen. Every once in a while, his mum would take one hand of the wheel to stroke his arm, as if that would make the heat coiling in his gut somehow disappear.</p><p>He half-heartedly greeted his dad when they came inside and promptly went to his room so he wouldn’t have to look at them. He didn’t want to do that. Especially when he just got cheered up by his best friends.</p><p>Inside his room, he went straight for his bed and flopped down atop it, his right arm resting on his forehead and covering his eyes. A lump grew in his throat and his pulse throbbed in his head as his cheeks and forehead grew warm with the strain of trying to keep the tears in. It was all in vain, though. The tears started falling, soaked up by his shirt sleeve. He wiped them in frustration and sat up, dizzy from how fast he moved, and fished out his phone to write his dud number so it wouldn’t build up and overwhelm him.</p><p>He did a double take when he saw the lock screen of his phone, though. In bold letters, right in the top of his phone, it showed he’d received a message from <em>Dud for feels</em>. That couldn’t be right.</p><p>Tentatively, Will unlocked his phone and opened the message. Sure enough, the dud had replied, which meant whichever website Will had found gave out real numbers belonging to real people. He bit his cheeks as they heated in a blush that no doubt spread to the back of his neck. The tell-tale sign of him being embarrassed.</p><p><em>[Me - 12.45pm] Isn’t he cute?</em> ❤️</p><p>
  <em>                   [Dud for feels - 7.30pm] I think you have the wrong number. But yeah, I guess so.</em>
</p><p>Will was unable to tear his eyes away. His heart galloped in his chest, making his ears pound with the pulse. He swallowed thick spit, his hands shaking slightly, while a somewhat uncomfortable tingly feeling spread in his stomach. He felt like it might not be a good idea to reply, seeing as this could be anyone anywhere, but maybe apologising would be in order.</p><p>He took a breath, then another, and settled it. He should at the very least apologise. So he did.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 7.40pm] Oh my lord this is someone’s number? I’m so sorry. I thought it was a dud. I got it from a phone number randomiser</em>
</p><p>He held his breath for ten seconds, waiting to see if whoever would write back, but nothing happened. Will supposed that was okay. At least he apologised. He lay back in bed, mentally preparing himself on deleting the number and figuring out what other things he could do to cope with his feelings. Maybe he could get a diary, or just start up a note in his phone. He should honestly have started a note in his phone first. He chuckled at his own silliness for texting a random number instead of doing that. Even if there were too little digits in the number for it to be American, it was kind of ignorant of Will to then assume it didn’t belong to anybody.</p><p>His phone gave a tweet and vibrated in his hand.</p><p>                   <em>[Dud for feels - 7.50pm] Guess you randomly got someone’s number. I see yours is American.</em></p><p>Will chewed his lips. There were certain rules for interacting online. Or, in this case, with a random number. Rules like not giving away your name, age or location. Then again, if he just wrote New York that couldn’t be too bad, right? New York was huge, after all.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8,03pm] Yeah. I’m in NY. WBU?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Dud for feels - 8.07pm] What’s WBU?</em>
</p><p>Will raised an eyebrow. If this person didn’t know abbreviations, chances were they might be quite old. Better be careful about that sensitive information then.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.12pm] It means what about you</em>
</p><p>It took a while for the stranger to reply.</p><p>                   <em>[Dud for feels - 8.20pm] Venice.</em></p><p>Will gaped at his phone. He had gotten a number that belonged to some stranger in Venice? How was that even possible? More importantly, that meant he was currently texting overseas. His parents might have a question or two about his phone bill for this correspondence.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.25pm] Oh my lord that’s an expensive bill</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Dud for feels - 8.28pm] Not if you have Whatsapp.</em>
</p><p>Will stared at the message, not sure what to make of it. Was this an invitation to keep writing the stranger? It was nearly impossible to tell over text, to be honest. Still, Will couldn’t shake the feeling of excitement that coiled in his stomach over texting with a total stranger. It was something forbidden, and Will had never broken the rules. He opened his app store and typed in whatsapp. The app showed up immediately. Apparently, it was a texting app that worked via the Internet, so it didn’t get billed like ordinary texts did, which technically made it a free texting app. It could text any number in the world and do calls and video calls. How had Will never heard of something like this before? He saw there was another one called Viber below it. They looked pretty good, but it seemed you could only text other people who had the app through the app. Made sense. Will suspected, since the stranger had mentioned WhatsApp, that they used that app, so that was the one Will installed. Once it was done downloading, he went into it and started a new message thread with Dud for feels.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.40pm] Got it!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Dud for feels - 8.43pm] Okay.</em>
</p><p>They didn’t write anything else, and Will was kind of sad about it. He wanted to ask something about the stranger, but he wasn’t sure what. Wait. The stranger said they lived in Venice. What time was it even in Venice right now?</p><p>Will opened his phone’s web browser and Googled how much time difference there was between New York and Venice. He almost did a double take when he saw there was a six-hour difference and it was currently two in the morning over there. The stranger was probably trying to sleep while Will sat here, texting them. Whoever they were must think Will was a weirdo for texting so late. He should apologise for that.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 9.03pm] Oh my lord I just found out you’re 6 hours ahead of me. I’m so sorry for texting so late! Good night</em>
</p><p>Will clicked out of the app and stared at his phone in bewilderment. He should probably see if he could find the website where he’d found that number from to figure out if they gave those numbers away legally or what. But not right now. Despite usually sleeping around eleven in the night, his body was already exhausted. He suspected it was because of everything that had happened today. Instead of clinging to his phone, wondering if the stranger would reply at 3am their time, Will got dressed in his nightwear, brushed his teeth, and threw a quick good night into the air so his parents knew not to disturb him. He heard both of them softly yell good night to him as well, breaking his heart all over.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don’t know much about tarot cards or tarot card readings, or even candle magick, so I used the Internet to pick out the cards for Will and candles for Lou Ellen. I’ve also seen people online talking about the importance of thanking the cards after using them, so I incorporated that as well.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Morning jog</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late update. I’ve been working on and off on this chapter for so long, and it’s definitely not the best.<br/>I’ll try to get better at updating, but teaching online during Corona makes it super unappealing to stay glued to a computer on your off time ^^;<br/>This summer I’m taking two classes to exams and censoring a third exam. I also have some flag official work coming up for some races, and I’m moving (hopefully) sometime during summer, but we’ll see, since my move-in date got postponed from May until September at the latest.<br/>Updates will most likely still be slow, but I’ll try to do better for them to not be, like, a year apart x”D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will was woken by a loud tweet and an aggressive buzzing on wood. He blinked his eyes open slowly, the remnants of his dream slowly letting go of his brain that struggled to keep the dream alive. Something about drowning and arriving on a deserted island, the weather stormy and dangerous. He stretched in the darkness as the remaining images of his dream faded into nothingness, leaving him confused and upset. Smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he sat up against the headrest of his bed and turned on his fancy night light.</p><p>It was a light he had saved up for for a while, with a knob that controlled how intense the light was. This meant Will could dim it in the nights or mornings as he was falling asleep or just coming to, so he wouldn’t be blinded by the sudden sharpness of the light.</p><p>He turned to his phone, no doubt the culprit of the noise, and turned it to face up instead of down on his nightstand. There was a new message from the unknown person. He’d renamed the number to <em>Italian stranger</em> after apologising, because it felt more fitting than <em>Dud for feels</em>.</p><p>                   [<em>Italian stranger - 5.37am] That’s okay. I could have told you.</em></p><p>Will stared at the message, wondering what kind of person the Italian stranger was. Whoever they were, eleven was kind of early on a Sunday. Maybe they went to church? Will hummed and shifted in the bed, pulling the duvet as close as possible, enjoying the heat. He yawned while mulling over what he should text the stranger. He could always write good morning, but wouldn’t that be a bit weird? Or he could ask if they were going to church, but that might be too personal too fast. Instead, he wrote the first logical thing his sleep muddled brain could come up with.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 5.46am] I guess so</em>
</p><p>Great. Awesome. No room for conversation or anything. Will wasn’t really sure why he wanted the conversation so bad. He already apologised; the stranger accepted. In reality, he should leave it at that; delete the number and move on with his life. Still, he couldn’t stop the subtle humming of his body and his rising pulse.</p><p>There was something dangerous and exciting about this, and though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly it was, he wanted more. Nothing too dangerous though. Like, giving away his name was definitely a no-no. He was still debating on his age, but decided that for now, he’d hold back on that as well.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.03am] Do you think I should get the dog?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 6.04am] I guess? If you want it.</em>
</p><p>Will stared at the message, his throat going drier, his heart beating faster. He hadn’t expected the stranger to answer him so quickly.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.04am] I do. But they’re not open yet</em>
</p><p>That much should be obvious though. If Will could have an idea what time it was in Italy, surely the Italian must have some idea what time it might be in New York. Right? Ugh.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.04am] They only had 2 left yday so maybe they’re sold out</em>
</p><p>Will sighed, laying back on his pillow, waiting. He must have dosed off, because he was awoken by a buzzing in his hand, a tweet, and his own shocked snoring.</p><p>                   <em>[Italian stranger - 6.32am] You won’t know unless you check.</em></p><p>Won’t know? Won’t know what? Will squinted his eyes and scrolled up through the messages, then got reminded of the dog plush toy. Honestly, it was such a non-issue. Not to mention he already decided not to get the dog, so there was that.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.33am] They won’t open for a while</em>
</p><p>Will shifted to sit straighter and turned the brightness of his light up. He wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyway, and he was still curious about whether the stranger went to church or not. Maybe, if he phrased it as a different question, it might not come off as creepy or pushy?</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.40am] What are you up to?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 6.42am] Unloading groceries. Just got back from the market.</em>
</p><p>This was interesting, but it also kind of spiked those alarm bells that had started going off a bit yesterday when the stranger didn’t know abbreviations.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.45am] What kind of market?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.47am] Also, you went grocery shopping? How old are you?</em>
</p><p>Wow, shit! Abort, abort! Never ask for or give out your age. It was one of the rules!</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.51am] Maybe that was kinda weird to ask. Sorry</em>
</p><p>Weird? It wasn’t just a weird thing to ask, it was a creepy thing to ask. Will’s hands were sweaty, and he licked his lips, his breath coming in short bursts. He needed to fix this and calm down!</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.53am] I swear I’m not a creep</em>
</p><p><em>Wow, Will. Real convincing</em>.</p><p>He closed his eyes and grit his teeth. The stranger would definitely not want to text him anymore after this. Whoever they were would probably block Will, and for some inexplicable reason that made him feel empty and hollow. As if he was losing someone important when he didn’t even know this person.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 6.53 am] Wow. That made me sound like a creep anyway</em>
</p><p>Will bumped his head against the headboard while scolding himself. He should definitely not be allowed to text this early in the morning when his brain was still booting up and barely even functioning. Judging from the lack of response, Will guessed the stranger probably blocked his number. Great.</p><p>He stretched in the bed and decided, that rather than wallowing in sadness, he would go and get some breakfast.</p><p>He slipped on some slippers, because it was still way too cold to walk around barefoot inside and pulled a sweater over his night T-shirt. The house was quiet. Only the ticking clock in the kitchen echoed in the room, counting seconds and minutes with its monotone tick-tock. Obviously, his parents wouldn’t be up at seven on Sunday. Will doubted anyone but him was up this early in the weekends. He decided to play some music on his phone while he prepared an omelet for breakfast and some toast. He figured he might as well make some coffee for his dad, while his dad still lived in the house with them.</p><p>The thought made tears prick in his eyes, and rather than face them, he wiped them away angrily. He wasn’t going to think about it today.</p><p>He ate his omelet, drank his milk, cleaned the dishes, and by the time he was done, his parents were up, and the coffee was just the right temperature for his dad.</p><p>Will didn’t say anything to them when they greeted him good morning. He just grunted at them and went to his room, lying back on his bed with a sigh.</p><p>Because of how early it was, he couldn’t even go to Cecil or Lou Ellen. If he put on good clothes, maybe he could go for a jog, just to get out and away for a bit?</p><p>That didn’t sound like such a bad idea. With a sigh and a body that seemed to struggle against him, Will got up and started to get changed. He’d just pulled on his jogging wear when his phone tweeted.</p><p>If he was lucky, maybe it was Lou Ellen texting. She tended to wake up earlier than Cecil. If it was, he could jog to hers and play video games for the rest of the day.</p><p>When he saw the name on the display, he couldn’t help but smile.</p><p>                   <em>[Italian stranger - 7.02am] Yeah. Grocery shopping. Not creepy or weird to ask. I’m 42. Just watching some motor sports now. I’m making tender loins tonight.</em></p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 7.03am] What are you having for dinner?</em>
</p><p>Will reread the messages at least five times to make sure he was seeing right. He couldn’t tell if this was a joke or if whoever was being serious. Did 42-year-olds know abbreviations?</p><p>Oh, shit! What if Will actually accidentally contacted a 42-year-old Italian man? Was that safe?</p><p>Will figured, if the man on the other end was honest enough to give his actual age, maybe Will didn’t need to be too worried. Maybe he could even ask for advice. Or maybe that would just be creepy. Who even shared their worries with a 42-year-old stranger? Definitely not Will.</p><p>Taking a breath, Will decided to text Lou Ellen. Odds of her being awake were fairly high, especially compared to Cecil who probably wouldn’t wake until noon.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 7.07am] Are you awake? I think I need your advice</em>
</p><p>Will’s body started feeling jittery, pins and needles buzzing in his fingertips and his veins uncomfortably warm. He decided to go for a jog to get some of that energy out of his system.</p><p>He found his wireless ear buds, pulled on a thick fleece coat, and went to the landing to toe on his sneakers.</p><p>“I’m going for a jog!” he called into the kitchen, not waiting for his parents to answer before he was off.</p><p>The sun was just starting to peek at the horizon, but it was still fairly dim in the early hours of March. Will did a quick stretch routine before he started walking at a brisk pace, warming his muscles up for the jog.</p><p>He had just rounded the corner of his block when a tweet disturbed his music. Pulling aside, he fished up his phone.</p><p>                   <em>[Lou Ellen - 7.20am] Why di yo alwys wake so earky? I dno’t mind you coming but I’m barly awake rn</em></p><p>Will felt a blush creep up his cheek, the back of his neck tightening. Lou must have just woken up if she made that many typos in one text, and Will wasn’t sure he could get himself to unload on her if she was just coming to.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 7.23am] Sorry if I woke you. I can come by later if it’s still okay. Doesn’t have to be now.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Lou Ellen - 7.25am] Istg Will. I'm awak now. Just come over.</em>
</p><p>Will’s guilt was making his stomach coil uncomfortably, but Lou Ellen putting it like that didn’t leave much up for debate, so he decided to pocket his phone, pick up his pace, and jog to her place.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Advice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Decided to update these 2 chapters today because it’s been so long. It feels nice to write again :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Block the number, Will.”</p><p>Lou Ellen’s hair was a wild mess around her head, crust still sitting in the inner corner of her left eye. She sat with a cup of water, a pitcher nearby. Will had some too. She had put cucumbers and lemons in it for a fresher taste, and Will was surprised how much of a difference a few slices of cucumber and lemon could do to plain old water.</p><p>Will sighed. “What if whoever-it-is, is just joking about their age, though?”</p><p>Lou Ellen raised her eyebrow. “Honestly, Will. Why did you text that number in the first place?”</p><p>Will fidgeted and took a sip of his water. He knew this was going to sound a bit dumb, and possibly pathetic, but he also knew Lou Ellen would pester him until he confessed.</p><p>“I honestly thought the number didn’t exist. I was planning on vending my feelings to it.”</p><p>Lou Ellen rolled her eyes with a bit of a scoff. “Should’a just gotten yourself a diary.”</p><p>“I know.” Will groaned, giving her a shove with no real heat to it. “But now that someone’s there, it’s like I can’t let it go.”</p><p>Lou Ellen sipped her water, her brows raised, but her face otherwise neutral. Or, as neutral as it could be with sleep still visible in her eyes, and pillow creases on her left cheek.</p><p>“I still think you should block the number. You don’t know anything about the person.”</p><p>“I know. It’s just… I never break the rules. This kind of feels like breaking the rules.”</p><p>Lou Ellen let out a small laugh. “So, you’re telling me that well-raised, well-mannered William Andrew Solace is looking to finally rebel?”</p><p>“Oh, shut up!”</p><p>In a way he knew she was right. Blocking the number was probably his best option, but he was itching to know more. He had a real chance to learn of another culture here, even if the guy <em>was</em> 42 — which, he might not be.</p><p>Will had never travelled outside the states, if you could call a move from Austin to New York travelling. This stranger, however, was in Europe. He’d probably gone a ton of places and seen other European countries. Or maybe that was just a stereotype that all Europeans travelled to multiple European countries since they were so close.</p><p>Will’s phone gave a tweet, breaking the silence. Lou Ellen eyed him as he reached for it.</p><p>“What?” he asked.</p><p>She shrugged. “If it’s the stranger, I would say ignore it and block the number. I don’t think you plan on doing that, though.”</p><p>Will scowled at her. He wasn’t always the biggest fan of Lou Ellen’s natural intuition about these things, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Maybe he should ask her to read his fortune about the stranger and let the Tarot cards decide? Even Lou Ellen didn’t question those.</p><p>Will sighed when he saw it was indeed the Italian stranger. Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow at him, and he decided to scoot over and let her read along, even if he wasn’t sure that was the right thing to do or not. It was just easier to share now than have her ask later.</p><p>                   <em>[Italian stranger - 7.40am] I was joking you know.</em></p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 7.41 am] About my age. I’m only 15. I just went with my dad.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 7.42am] I’m cooking with him too.</em>
</p><p>“Okay,” Lou Ellen said. “Definitely block the number.”</p><p>Will looked at her, his heart in his throat. “What? Why?”</p><p>“Clearly, he took your hesitation as a bad sign and decided to lie about his age. 42 was probably also a lie. For all we know he could be an 80-year-old man using a fake number down the street.”</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Don’t underestimate the lengths some of these creeps will go to, to lure in innocent people like you, Will.”</p><p>Will couldn’t help but snort. “Why choose 15 though? Because creeps also hack and bug your phone to spy on you and guess your age to be relatable? Because FYI, I haven’t told him my age or anything yet.”</p><p>“I’m just saying. You asked for my advice, this is it: block the number.”</p><p>“Then ask your cards.” Will blurted.</p><p>Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow, pointing down herself as if to indicate she couldn’t just casually ask cards when she was still wearing her pyjamas and hadn’t even brushed her hair.</p><p>“You need to be more awake than I am to ask the cards, Will.”</p><p>Will huffed and leaned against her bed, looking at the text. He wasn’t sure if it made sense for the stranger to be testing him by making up ages until Will said <em>Oh my God, me too</em>. Then again, maybe Will should wait a bit before he replied to the person, just to make sure they weren’t going to change their age again.</p><p>“You wanna play Mario Kart?” he asked.</p><p>Lou Ellen raised her eyebrow again, but at least she didn’t look as sceptical as she had seemed about the cards.</p><p>“It doesn’t count if you win against someone who’s barely awake.”</p><p>Will rolled his eyes and huffed out a laugh before he got her Switch. “I know.”</p><hr/><p>They had played a few games before Lou Ellen convinced Will to take a power nap so she could start actually beating his ass instead of ending up last place in multiple rounds.</p><p>Her bed was just large enough for the two of them, and while she snored away almost immediately, Will couldn’t quite get his mind to rest, so instead he put his ear buds in and scrolled through his phone while listening to music.</p><p>A tweet disrupted the music and a box from WhatsApp covered the top of the phone screen. The Italian Stranger had written him again.</p><p>                   <em>[Italian stranger - 8.15am] Sorry for creeping you out with my joke. That was dumb.</em></p><p>
  <em>                   [Italian stranger - 8.18am] It was a standard outdoor market with local sellers.</em>
</p><p>Will stared at the messages for a while, peeking at Lou Ellen who still snored away. He couldn’t decide if he should follow her advice and block the number or take his chances. Maybe wait a bit longer to see if the stranger would try to change his age again because of Will’s silence.</p><p>He stared for so long the screen turned off and all he could see was the reflection of his own blue eyes, the music still playing in his ears.</p><p>He must have dozed off at some point, because he was stirred awake by Lou Ellen clambering over him to get out of bed. He looked around disoriented, and found his phone in his pocket, although he couldn’t remember putting it there. He fished it out and looked at the texts again, but the stranger hadn’t sent him anything new.</p><p>Will let out a breath, mulling it over. Worst case scenario, this was some weird, lonely, old man who was just pulling him along. And if that was the case, he could change his phone number. It wasn’t that bad. He could entertain this stranger and still be safe about it.</p><p>Will renamed the contact again and finally replied to the stranger.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.33am] Please tell me you got a picture grandpa</em>
</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.33am] And yes. I’m calling you grandpa from now on for that joke</em>
</p><p>It didn’t take long for his phone to let out a tweet in his ears.</p><p>                   <em> [Grandpa - 8.39am] Okay Cagnetto</em></p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.41am] What’s that mean?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                   [Grandpa - 8.43am] Google it</em>
</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.44am] You’re a mean grandpa</em>
</p><p>Will clicked out of WhatsApp and decided to Google the word Cagnetto. At the top of the search were pictures of multiple little dogs, and below a bunch of links to dictionaries telling him that Cagnetto was Italian, and masculine, and meant doggie, doggy, lap-dog, little dog, puppy, and probably other words for dog.</p><p>Will rolled his eyes.</p><p>                   <em>[Grandpa - 8.49am] At least I dine in style.</em></p><p>Attached to the message was a pretty good-quality photo of a platter with crackers, olives, dried meats, cheeses, and bell peppers. Propped against it was a Nintendo Switch, and even though anyone could own that, Will wasn’t sure a 42-year-old would be all that interested in owning a Switch. He decided he would believe the stranger was 15 for now and gamble a bit. Not much.</p><p>Lou Ellen would definitely not be happy with him.</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.52am] Sure thing grandpa</em>
</p><p>
  <em>[Me - 8.57am] BTW I’m 15 too</em>
</p><p>It was kind of strange, letting the stranger know his actual age. It was one of the rules. Never give away your age, sex, or location. The adrenaline rushed straight to Will’s head and made it buzz. He was so much on edge he nearly got a heart attack when Lou Ellen returned, a clay mask covering her face.</p><p>He could live with the repercussions, he decided. She would find out anyway. Wordlessly, he showed her his screen and she squinted at it before rolling her eyes.</p><p>“If that’s what you want, Will. Just, be careful.”</p><p>Will nodded and leaned into her. “I will be.”</p><p>Lou Ellen and Cecil were very good friends. He was so happy and grateful for them. He was about to rest his eyes again when his stomach let out a loud growl, and cheeks got hot with embarrassment.</p><p>“You want breakfast?” Lou Ellen laughed.</p><p>“I already had breakfast an hour ago.”</p><p>“Then a second breakfast. Just give this mask two more minutes to work and we can go.”</p><p>Will nodded. “Okay.”</p>
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